Monday, March 25, 2013

Q: "My homeowners insurer sent an inspector to look at my home. Can they do this?"

It is not unusual for home insurers to periodically inspect the homes they insure.

Generally an inspection might be done after years of providing insurance when an insurer may ask if it's still insuring the same risk that it started out with.

The company might ask your agent to do a site inspection, or might hire an independent company to do site inspections and write reports about what they see, such as maintenance, property/landscape care, and any dangerous conditions that might increase the chance of a loss or injury at your home or on your premises.

There are no insurance laws that prohibit site inspections. Of course you’ll want to set up an appointment so you can be there when the site inspection is made. If a site inspection is made on a ‘drive by’ basis, there is a chance that a report may not be accurate, as you won’t be there to answer questions about any issues that could cause an inspector to be concerned, maybe unnecessarily. If you have questions about the process, we recommend that discuss the issue with your agent.